Daniel Hemric Finishes 13th in First Career Start at Phoenix International Raceway

Daniel Hemric made his first start at Phoenix International Raceway in Friday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event and finished 13th with the No. 6 Jack Link's/Valvoline Chevrolet team. Starting from the 14th position under the lights of the Avondale, Ariz. race track, Hemric battled a loose-handling condition on the black and white machine. Having to be extremely conservative on the entries to the turns, the Kannapolis, N.C., native fell to 27th in the running order. The first caution of the night came on Lap 34, giving the team the opportunity to work on the truck's handling. Crew chief Bryan Berry called for four tires, fuel, a left shock and chassis adjustments when Hemric drove the truck to pit road. The 22-year-old driver continued to battle around the one-mile track, receiving the Lucky Dog to return to the lead lap on two occasions. The team continued to work to make progress with the truck's balance during routine pit stops, making a right rear shock adjustment, in addition to air pressure and chassis changes. As the handling conditioned gradually improved the SGR driver picked off one position at a time. Hemric turned his fastest times in the closing laps, and took the checkered flag in the 13th position. Despite handling challenges and near-misses of spinning trucks during the 150-lap race, the young rookie brought home the No. 6 Jack Link's/Valvoline Chevrolet without a scratch on it like a seasoned veteran.

Daniel Hemric Quote:

"I'd like to thank the Sharp-Gallaher Racing team for sticking behind me all night. Thirteenth wasn't the finish we wanted for the Jack Link's/Valvoline Chevrolet, but we never gave up. I learned with every lap around here (Phoenix International Raceway). Thank you to Eddie Sharp, Bill Gallaher, Jack Link's, Valvoline, ECR Engines and Stitch98 for making my dreams come true tonight, and to everyone out there for believing in me. Hopefully, we'll get to do it again!"
Newsletter - Dance Drop Shadow Image

Max Gresham Posts Lead-lap Finish at Phoenix International Raceway for Scottsdale Insurance Company

It was difficult for Max Gresham and everyone else on the Sharp-Gallaher Racing team to leave the Phoenix International Raceway Friday night without a look back over their entire body of work in the 2013 season. A 15th-place finish on Friday night fell short of what the team wanted, but it also said a lot of what they accomplished in the No. 8 Scottsdale Insurance Company Chevrolet throughout the two-day event. While Gresham completed his seventh consecutive lead-lap finish, he wasn't happy about being part of an early-race accident that included another Georgia native. Although both recovered to post lead-lap finishes, Gresham believed the bump he instigated might have cost him a top-five finish. Throughout the 150-lap event Gresham's lap times were faster than the leaders as he worked his way through the traffic. The proverbial third time was the charm as Gresham battled for the Lucky Dog position, and he received it on Lap 87 after his third attempt of the night. Gresham qualified the Scottsdale Insurance Company Chevrolet in fifth, marking his best career starting position on a track of one-mile or shorter.

Max Gresham Quote:

"We had a top-five truck tonight. I hate that I caused that caution and put us a lap down. I really believe we could have run with the top five. We made incredible improvements between practice and qualifying, and those improvements carried over into the race. It's a shame we got a lap down early in the race, but we battled back and posted another lead-lap finish. I can't say enough about the way Chris [Showalter] and everyone else on this Sharp-Gallaher Racing team set this Scottsdale Insurance Company truck up. We have everything in place to win a race. It's just a matter of putting all the pieces together."

UP NEXT: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Friday, Nov. 15 season finale. The 22nd race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. It will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all the rest (c) 2003-2014 by PaddockTalk.com.Contact E-mail: admin@paddocktalk.comPrivacy